Kop 10 McManaman goals
Former Kop star Steve McManaman celebrates his 40th birthday today. To mark the occasion we have picked out his Kop 10 goals for LFC.
1. Dipping shot against Arsenal (30.11.1997)
When you watch McManaman glide onto that bouncing ball at the edge of the Arsenal penalty area and arc it over David Seaman, you can't help but think of a man who would, two years later, become his teammate at Real Madrid. The manner in which he poises himself before connecting so sweetly and with so much control, has Zinedine Zidane written all over it.
It was a stunning strike that earned Liverpool an invaluable 1-0 win at Highbury (only their second away victory of the campaign) eight days after a disappointing loss to Barnsley at Anfield.
A match report from the following day encapsulated Macca's moment of brilliance: "Eleven minutes after the interval Arsenal stood off McManaman as Stig Bjornebye lined-up to take a left-wing throw into the box.
"Given two yards, he took a mile, thrashing the ball right-footed over and beyond the groping hands of David Seaman to move Roy Evans' Reds to within two points of the Gunners."
2. Stunning solo effort against Celtic to clinch an equaliser in the 89th minute (16.09.1997)
An 18-year-old Michael Owen had given Liverpool the lead after just six minutes of a first half they dominated. But Celtic dug-deep and overturned the scoring so that with a minute of real time left on the clock, they believed, according to a Press Association match report, that 'they deserved a famous victory'.
However, on 89 minutes, the same report tells of how a 'fleet-footed' Macca 'contrived a gem of a strike' to send the Reds back to Anfield as firm favourites to progress to the second round of the UEFA Cup.
McManaman raced the length of the pitch, leaving countless, exhausted Celtic defenders in his wake and then just as they finally sought to close him down, inside the 'D' of their own penalty area, he unleashed a curling left-footed strike to clinch a vital 2-2 draw for Roy Evans' men.
3. Scoring Liverpool's last Wembley goal (02.04.1995)
It was Liverpool's 30th appearance at Wembley in as many years and they were already one-up thanks to another cracker from Macca.
On 68 minutes, Redknapp fed him out on the left from where he seemed to jog the initial twenty yards towards the Bolton goal. Then, without warning, he injected pace to skip past Scott Green and wrong-foot Mark Seagreaves before Keith Branagan was roundly beaten with a calm, curling right-footed finish.
Kevin Keegan, who would later bring Macca from Real Madrid back to England and to Manchester City, marvelled from the Wembley gantry: "That is just sheer class, there's no other word for it - that guy is having the time of his life out there on that Wembley pitch."
4. Wrong-footing Aston Villa days after the Celtic dribble (22.09.1997)
For the third year running, Aston Villa were sent back to Birmingham on the receiving end of a 3-0 thrashing at Anfield. The back pages were dominated by Gareth Southgate's 'penalty hell', as a year on from his Euro '96 spot-kick blunder, the defender was wrongly adjudged to have fouled Michael Owen in the area.
Fowler converted the 56th minute penalty but it was another piece of magic from McManaman, 23 minutes later, that should really have stolen the headlines. Similar to his run against Celtic six days earlier, Macca picked up possession deep inside his own half and embarked on another mazy sprint.
Ten yards from the opposition area he began to drop the shoulder, first to the right, then left, then back again, winding his way towards disorientated Villa defenders, one of whom was lucky to stay on his feet, before slotting past Mark Bosnich.
5. Chest control and volley at St. James' (in off the post) (28.12.1997)
A McManaman-inspired win at St. James' Park pushed Liverpool into the top four and sunk Kenny Dalglish's Newcastle. In December 1997, Macca was at his most exuberant in the goal-scoring stakes, winning the PFA Player of the Month award for his efforts.
Recently transferred John Barnes looked on from the Toon bench as Michael Owen slipped a pass into Fowler, who nutmegged a helpless Newcastle player before swerving the ball into the path of the advancing Macca. He controlled with his chest and unleashed a stunning volley that flew past Shaka Hislop and into the net via his left post.
Jamie Carragher rightly remarked: "I think with Macca and Fowler and the football they played, it was definitely the best football side in the country at the time."
6. Sixty-yard run v Crystal Palace (20.08.1994)
It was the perfect way to start the new season. Newly-promoted Palace were swept away at Selhurst Park on the opening day of the 1994-95 campaign and hit for six. McManaman got two - one was a tap-in, the other was a belter.
Jan Molby picked him out with an effortless side-footed clearance and Macca was away, off on a steamrolling sixty-yard burst down the field, stopping only to shift the ball onto his right foot and curl it past a stranded Nigel Martyn from the edge of the Palace box.
"Six-hitters Liverpool ruthlessly punished suicidal defending by a shell-shocked Crystal Palace side slaughtered on their Premiership return," read the Press Association match report.
7. The 'fresh and brilliant' face of Liverpool's future v Sheffield United (11.11.92)
"Liverpool gorge on double Mac attack," said The Guardian.
It was a League Cup third round replay at Anfield on the back of a 0-0 draw at Brammall Lane two weeks earlier.
Macca needed a deflection off Brian Gayle to beat Alan Kelly Jr at his near post for 1-0. But if his opener on 33 minutes was far from spectacular, his second was truly immaculate. Liverpool broke with pace up the field, Redknapp split the United defence and McManaman latched onto his pass. The 21-year-old hesitated momentarily then pivoted on the edge of the penalty area, flummoxing a stumbling defender before coolly chipping the 'keeper from 20 yards.
Granada TV's Rob Palmer announced from the gantry: "And what a goal it was, that is the face of the Liverpool of the future. And what a fresh and brilliant face it is."
8. Fowler dummies, Macca bends home in another memorable Anfield 4-3 (10.03.1997)
Eleven months on from the 4-3 defeat that killed-off Newcastle's title hopes and conjured iconic images of a despairing Kevin Keegan slumped over the Anfield hoardings, his successor Kenny Dalglish suffered the exact same fate.
A late, diving-header from Robbie Fowler settled the iconic 1997 encounter in the most dramatic fashion but McManaman played a key part, not least when he scored a peach of an opener on 29 minutes.
Redknapp clipped a perfectly-weighted pass out to McAteer on the right, he cut inside and flashed the ball across the face of goal, Fowler dummied, McManaman controlled and then bent his strike into the top corner of the Anfield Road goal.
9. Nutmeg and chip against Swindon (22.08.1993)
The Guardian called the 5-0 win over Swindon 'a leisurely excursion for the new Liverpool express' while The Times talked of 'Souness's strolling players' assuming the lead role. Macca netted two at the County Ground as Neil Ruddock scored on his debut to send the Reds back to the summit of English football for the first time in more than two years.
McManaman doubled Liverpool's lead on 36 minutes, volleying home a Steve Nicol cross. Then on 61, Ronnie Whelan pounced on a loose ball in the middle of the park and released the 23-year-old, who galloped towards goal, effortlessly nutmegged Ross MacClaren before dinking the ball over the advancing Fraser Digby.
10. Opener in the Coca Cola Cup final v Bolton (02.04.1995)
Liverpool are just 15 days away from their first trip to Wembley in 16 years. Their last outing there ended in disappointment as Eric Cantona struck and Roy Evans' side failed to reply.
Therefore the record for the last Liverpool player to make the Wembley net bulge still stands with Steve McManaman who scored two against Bolton in the League Cup final of 1995. What a day he had when he unwittingly clinched that landmark and what a pair of goals he scored.
The first was a trademark winding run that took him from 10 yards inside the opposition half to yards away from goal where he side-footed past Keith Branagan for 1-0.